The Arrangement
by Missschievous
Summary: In order to avoid a detrimental PR scandal, Fitzgerald Grant III strikes a deal with an unknown ally. He soon finds his entire life uprooted due to the consequences of his hasty decision.
1. Deal with the Devil

_So the idea for this story kind of poured out of me within a couple of days. Please let me know your honest opinion after reading. For fair warning, this story will be extremely angsty, if you're looking for something sweet, I suggest you check out my Vermont fanfic. Updates for the rest of my stories coming soon, I promise! xx_

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Eli Pope awoke to the ringing of his iPhone at an ungodly hour of the night. He rubbed his tired eyes before directing them to his LED alarm clock, which read 2:28 am. He mumbled underneath his breath before sitting up straight and taking hold of his cellular device. He smirked at the caller ID on his phone before answering the call.

"Cyrus." He said in an equally smug and annoyed tone. "And what do I owe the pleasure? It's 2:30 in the morning, which means either someone very important is dead, or you're in shit."

"I need a favour."

Eli laughed, swinging his feet over his bed in order to stand up. He stood into his slippers, slipped into his night robe and headed down the hall towards his office. He made sure not to wake his sleep daughter in the room beside his as he ventured down the stairs of his lovely and very well decorated Victorian styled home. Once in his office he closed the door discretely behind him and sat down in his desk.

"I'm not in the business of just giving out favours. You of all people know how I operate."

"I'm in shit Eli. Big shit. I need your help. You know I wouldn't be calling you at this hour if I had any other option. But I don't."

Again, Eli smiled smugly. "Go on."

"Ever heard of Fitzgerald Grant III?"

"Somewhat. That's your boy isn't it?" Eli lied. Of course he'd heard of Fitzgerald Grant III. Anyone with any type of political agenda had heard of the boy. He was the son of the legendary Fitzgerald Grant II; a well loved and respected republican senator who recently retired. Fitzgerald Grant III was a young, charming, handsome and smooth version of his father and was currently breaking political ground at a ridiculous pace. Perhaps it was the backpacking off his father's legacy, or the boy's unworldly good looks, Fitzgerald was currently on a roll, being 34 and a well respected congressman from California. He had Washington D.C. in the palm of his hand and was currently crushing it at a remarkable pace. Cyrus had done an unbelievable job with the boy, marketing Fitzgerald as a young republican JFK, and both the people of California and D.C. ate that shit up.

"Yeah well, we're in shit. He um... he has a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Hookers. Alcohol. Drugs."

"Spit it out Cyrus. I need to be up in a few hours and I don't have time to pull this out of you. Tell me what you need and I'll tell you if and how I'll help you."

"Some hooker he's dealt with has dirt on him; pictures, videos, text messages all kind of shit. She tried to extort us and when we didn't give in she flipped. She's going to the press in the morning. The dirt she has is bad Eli. It will ruin him. If this gets out, he's done. This boy has potential to make it all the way to the White House. You know the legacy his father built up, there's not a doubt in my mind he will be our next president once Bush is out. But not if this bitch has her way, she'll ruin everything I've worked so hard to build. I've invested everything in this boy and I'm not about to watch it all get thrown away because he can't keep his dick in his pants."

"What kind of dirt does she have? I need specifics."

"Everything. She has photos' of him naked, abusing substances, incriminating text messages. She's got him by the balls."

"Tell your boy to stop fucking shady hookers." Eli remarked with a snicker, pouring himself a glass of scotch.

"I need your help Eli." Cyrus pleaded. "We only have a few hours before this goes public and if it does, I'm ruined."

Eli smiled. "Cyrus you've known me for a long time, you know I don't do freebees."

"The boy is old money and you know that. Name your price and I'll wire it to you before we end this conversation."

"You must think I'm an idiot Cyrus. You just give me the juiciest piece of information on who you predict to be the future President of the United States, and you expect me to take money? I do quite all right for myself. I have the house, quite a few cars, and my daughter's done college; I have no financial woes at the moment. I don't want your blood money."

"Then what do you want?"

"The only thing more valuable than money." Eli stated. "But that will come with time. All I need at the moment is your word that when I decide what I want, you will honour it without a word of protest. I want a non-negotiable IOU. Is that understood?"

Cyrus gulped. Eli was a smart man, far too smart for his own good. "Yes."

"Give me your word Cyrus."

"I give you my word Eli. Anything you want, you have my word. I need this. I don't have much time, she could be on her way to any news agency now."

"Send me the whore's details and I'll have her taken care in an hour." Eli said coldly. "I'll be in touch." He ended the call and took a deep breath. He received a message from Cyrus within a moment.

 **Cyrus: Amanda Tanner. 134 Bailey Way, Unit 223.**

Eli quickly dialed a number he knew all to well. "Charlie. I have a job for you and I need it done within the hour." "Great. I'll send you the details. Let me know when you've done it."

 **XXXXX**

Olivia Pope woke up after a great night's sleep. She rolled out of her bed and headed into her ensuite. She connected her iPhone to her Bluetooth speakers, blasting her morning playlist as she got ready for the day. She showered, moisturized, got dressed and quickly polished herself off with some makeup. She applied a light coat of foundation, some pink blush and a solid coat of mascara to her lashes. Following that she brushed her should length curly ringlets into a high ponytail for the day.

Olivia took a nice long look at herself and smiled. She looked extremely smart. She wore a nice black blazer with silk white tank and black trousers. Although she was only working as a receptionist at the Smithsonian, she wanted to look sharp. After all, her father was the one who had gotten her the job. Her father was the head curator at the museum and she would not let him down.

After grabbing her black purse she headed downstairs to find her father watching the news on the couch with a cup of coffee. "Morning." She smiled. Liv headed to the kitchen to pour herself a big mug of java before joining her father.

"Morning sweetheart." Eli smiled at his beautiful daughter.

Liv then directed her attention to the TV, which displayed the morning news in D.C.

 _"We now take you live to Park View where a young woman has found been found dead in her apartment." The blonde anchorwoman stated before the video switched to a young man standing outside an apartment complex._

 _"I'm standing outside 134 Bailey Way where a young woman has been found dead inside her Park View apartment. The woman was found by her roommate around 4:00am this morning when she arrived home after working a late shift at a restaurant, her place of employment. The woman stated she came home to find her roommate unconscious on the couch and immediately called 911. Paramedics arrived moments later and pronounced the woman dead at the scene. So far, foul play has not been ruled out. The woman has been identified as Amanda Tanner of Washington D.C. As you can see there are many of officers behind me. So far they've been very scarce with the information they're choosing to release. I'll be reporting throughout the day as this story develops."_

Liv took a gulp from her coffee and sighed. "That's so sad. She looks so young."

Eli nodded. "Very sad indeed." He got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. "What did you want for breakfast? We have to leave soon."

"Eggs?" Liv batted her eyelashes. "I'd really love one of your omelettes before my big day at work."

"Only because it's your first day." Eli teased. "This isn't happening again. You're 26 for goodness sake, you make your own breakfast tomorrow, understood?"

"Understood." Liv smiled. She loved being a daddy's girl. As she watched her father prepare her omelette she swore to herself she had the best father in the entire world. After she struggled to get a job, her father kindly presented her with an opportunity to get some real life work experience. Granted working at the Smithsonian wasn't the most exciting job in the world, but it was work, and she got to spend it with her favourite man in the world.

 **XXX**

Eli groaned. "Olivia what the hell is this music you're playing in MY car?"

Liv giggled, "dad it's trap music." She bobbed her head to tune of 21 Savage, much to the dismay of her father.

"Listen to me young lady, you will never EVER play this music in my presence ever again. Not in my car, not in my house. Understood?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, picking up her iPhone and changing the music. "Yeah understood."

"Good." Eli smiled as they pulled into the parking lot of the Smithsonian. The two of them exited the vehicle and entered the building. Eli then set his daughter up at the front desk, showing her all she needed to know. He gave her a brief tour of the building and provided her with all of the essential information she would need to get through the day. He introduced her to a few of her new co-workers before making his way swiftly to his office alone. It was then in the privacy of his office that he made the phone call to Cyrus.

"Good morning Cyrus."

"ELI!" Cyrus beamed. "I cannot thank you enough for what you did. I truly can't. Fitz and I are over the moon. You don't know how much I appreciate this. I… I can't tell you how much you've saved us."

"Just remember we have a deal Cyrus. Like I said, I don't do freebees."

"Of course not. I promise to honour our deal without a word of protest. I just cannot express my gratitude to you enough."

Eli smirked, finding it a little early for such praise. Cyrus didn't have the slightest clue of the type of he deal he had signed with him. "I want to schedule a meeting with you. The both of you. Today."

"Absolutely." Cyrus agreed.

"Great. Be here at noon." Eli ended the call abruptly and smiled to himself. He opened up his laptop and typed Fitzgerald Grant III into his database. If he was going to enter into business with this man, he needed to know everything he was signing up for. He knew Cyrus to be a bit of a snake, and after what he had done for them, there was absolutely no way Eli was going to be snaked out of a deal. He would do his homework and then some. He was going to find out absolutely everything there was to know about Fitzgerald Grant III. If this boy breathed too loudly it would be in the database. Eli got up and made himself his second coffee for the day with his keurig. After he had prepared his latte to his liking, Eli Pope sat down and got to his reading.

After an hour Eli was decently content with his findings. Fitzgerald or Fitz as he preferred to be called, was a 34-year-old bachelor with a wild side. He had attended the University of Southern California and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in political science. He then completed law school at the University of Berkeley with a 4.0 GPA. He was smart and disciplined within his education, but lacked discipline in every other aspect of his life. Throughout his 34 years Fitz had maintained one documented girlfriend, Millicent Young. They had dated from their sophomore year to their 2nd year of law school. Following their breakup Fitz checked himself into a rehabilitation center under an alias for alcohol, substance and sex addiction. However it seemed that rehab failed as following his release it appeared Fitz became more reckless with his partying habits. Eli even managed to find several arrests pertaining to public intoxication, drunk driving, reckless driving and assault; all of course had been scrubbed clean off the face of the earth by his rich and powerful daddy. However Eli's database never failed him. He was able to find things that the 99% were blissfully unaware of. It became clear after he began working in public office; Fitz rekindled what seemed to be an off-and-on relationship with Millicent Young, with information linking the pair as recent as 2 months ago.

Smiling to himself, Eli closed his laptop. He had gathered all he needed to know about Fitz. Fitz couldn't keep a woman because he was far too busy fucking hookers. He was an avid drinker who failed to learn from his prior arrests, indicating that he was not only reckless but also stupid. Anyone in the public eye would have the common sense to get a driver or at the least a taxi, but not Fitz, which was suggestive of a blinding ego. However Eli would have all of this confirmed a little over an hour when Cyrus and the pretty boy made an appearance.

On the other side of the museum Olivia found herself settling in all right. She shared a large two-seater desk with the head receptionist by the name of Quinn Perkins. Quinn was a 28-year-old brunette with a pretty smile and a peppy attitude. From the moment Olivia met the woman, she could tell they were going to be friends. In between introducing herself to all the new programs and software, Liv and Quinn found themselves making small talk.

"So where did you go to school? What did you study?" Quinn inquired.

"I studied sociology at Georgetown." Liv replied. "I loved it there. I just finished my masters in communication."

"I took sociology too!" Quinn smiled. She looked at the time and grinned. "Right, it's 11:45 do you want to take your lunch break first?"

Liv shook her head. "I had a huge breakfast. I don't mind if you go first."

"Great, I'm starving. If anyone comes in… well you know what to do. If you need me my phone number is on that sticky pad there." Quinn smiled before dashing out the door heading towards her car.

Liv relaxed in her chair. She responded to a few emails and before she knew it the door swung open. Much to her surprise it wasn't Quinn, it was short, pudgy angry looking middle-aged man who was balding quite poorly. However the man behind him truly took her breath away, he was tall, dark and handsome with the eyes the colour of the Caribbean sea. He had dark brown curly hair, which was styled to perfection and wore a black suit that fit him like a glove. In all honesty Olivia was sure this man had stepped fresh off the cover of a GQ magazine. As they walked up to desk his cologne filled her nostrils; it was musty, dark and manly.

"Hi there, welcome to the Smithsonian. How can I help you?" She smiled politely, trying her best to hide the nerves coursing through her body.

The angry man spoke. "I have an appointment with Eli at 12."

Olivia nodded her head, trying her best to keep her eyes of the man standing beside him. "Can I have your name please?"

"Cyrus. He's expecting me."

Liv nodded, picking up the phone and dialing her father's office. "Hi Eli, I have Cyrus here at the front for you." "Perfect." She hung up the phone and smiled. "He'll be out in a moment, he's just finishing up a meeting."

Cyrus nodded before turning to the handsome man. "I have to make a call. I'll be back."

Olivia watched as he made his way outside with the door closing behind him. She was now alone with the handsome man staring at her unashamedly.

"Hi." He grinned charmingly at her. His cheeky smile made her heart skip a beat and suddenly Liv found herself getting nervous again. "How's your day going?" He had an effortless charm about him that had Olivia in a daze. He was remarkably sexy and was currently causing every hair on her body to stand on end.

"Good." She replied nervously. After realizing that came off quite curt she smiled at him and tried to relax. "Yours?" In all honestly Liv couldn't remember the last time a man had such an immediate and intense effect on her being; she felt like a nervous schoolgirl at 26 years of age.

"Mine?" He chuckled. "Couldn't be better. I've never been here before and I have to say I'm already impressed, such exceptional staff."

Liv could feel herself blushing, as she knew he was referring to her, after all she was only staff member present in the lobby. Although she had been single for the past 3 years, she was almost certain this man was flirting with her. He hadn't broken eye contact for a moment while keeping this sexy yet confident smile upon his face. Everything about this man was sensual from his stance, which was positioned towards her, to his unbelievable smell. He smelled like a man; a strong, assertive, sensual man.

"It's my first day." She admitted.

"Wow." He grinned. "I never would have guessed. You're an absolute natural. It never hurts to walk in anywhere and see a beautiful face at the door."

She was now blushing harder than she had in her entire life. Liv couldn't remember the last time she had felt so flustered. She was at loss for words. All she wanted to do was blurt how just how attractive she found him but she was sure he was aware. So instead she smiled and replied, "that's very sweet, thank you."

"What's your name?"

"Olivia."

"Olivia, nice to meet you gorgeous. I'm Fitz." He extended his hand to her, which she shook, certain her hands were clammy and gross. The second they touched she felt a surge of electricity shoot throughout her body all the way down to her toes. She released his hand and swallowed hard, feeling extremely unnerved.

He opened his mouth to say something however stopped at the sound of Cyrus re-entering the lobby. He mumbled something to himself before stuffing his phone in his pocket. A moment later Eli appeared through the building doors with impeccable timing. "Gentlemen, follow me." Fitz smiled at her briefly before following Cyrus and Eli into the building, and a moment later he was gone.

She exhaled for what the felt like the first time at his exit. Her heart rate slowly began to return to normal and her skin was slowly cooling down. It was her first day on the job and she was already drooling over one of her father's client's. She rose from her seat and headed over to the water cooler, guzzling down a well needed glass.

A few minutes later Quinn returned with a large salad, sandwich and tea in hand. She placed her lunch on her desk before taking off her coat and bag. "Everything okay?" Quinn asked quizzically due to the look on Olivia's face she was able to tell something had happened.

"Um yeah. Everything's fine." Liv answered, her voice still slightly shaky.

Quinn frowned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Liv returned to her desk and made sure no one was coming before she opened her mouth. "Quinn the hottest guy that I've ever seen in my entire life just came in."

Quinn groaned. "Are you kidding me?! I've been gone all of 5 minutes! Hot guys NEVER come in here, I turn my back for a moment and you see one! Bullshit!" Quinn took a quick sip of her tea before turning back to Olivia. "What did he look like?"

"Tall, dark and handsome, extremely handsome. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so…"

"So what?!"

"Gorgeous." Liv admitted. "Whatever, he's probably married, he was older, at least 30 I'd say. There's no way a man like that isn't married."

"Did you see a ring?"

Liv shook her head as she now remembered scanning his large hands as they greeted each other. "No I didn't."

"So he's not married then. You know what that means."

"What?" Liv frowned.

"He's either gay, a serial cheater, a content bachelor or all of the above." Quinn insisted. There was no way a handsome man in his 30's in D.C. was still available. She'd been living in D.C. for several years and now and had struggled like no one in the dating scene. All the good ones were taken, and all the good single ones were unfortunately batting for the same team.

"That's not what I want to hear." Liv frowned. She had just finished school not to long ago and was finally feeling over her past relationship. She had spent 3 years of her life grieving a 6 year relationship with her high school sweetheart Jake, which ended nothing short of terribly. She had never felt so heartbroken and alone in all of her life after their breakup and completely swore off men while she mended herself back together. However within the last couple of months, she was beginning to feel more and more ready to get back into the dating scene. But with Quinn's recent statement, Liv was starting to feel discouraged again.

"I'd be lying if I told you dating in this city is easy, most of the guys here are… well to be honest, they're all assholes. D.C. is filled with entitled, pompous, arrogant assholes. But you'll see for yourself, trust me." Quinn assured her. "A few months ago I met a this guy named Theo at a bar. He was handsome and worked in real estate, which drew me in because I'm sick to death of dating politicians. Anyways, we hit it off and start seeing each other. Next thing I know we're sleeping together pretty much daily. I mean we were doing it at mine, his, at his work… here; everywhere Liv. Turns out he's married with a KID! A fucking KID!"

"What?! How on earth did you find out?"

"When his wife showed up here and demanded I stay away from her husband. She went through his phone one night and bam, there I was. I've never been so humiliated. I was sleeping with him in a bed he shared with his wife… Men are so disgusting."

"That's vile. Did you kill him? What did you do?"

"Nothing." Quinn sighed. "What could I do? The damage had already been done."

Liv swallowed. She couldn't tell if her breakup with Jake would have been easier if he cheated. He had never cheated on her, to her knowledge at least. But he had broken her heart. One day he had just woken up and decided he had fallen out of love with her. It was unexpected and completely shook her world apart. Now that she was thinking about it, perhaps she would have preferred being cheated on. At least that scenario would allowed her to place the blame on him, and not on herself. To this day, she still couldn't accept the fact that someone was able to wake up and throw away a 6 year relationship at the drop of a hat. And that was the reason she refused to date for so long, she was afraid of getting hurt again, of opening up. She was afraid to trust any man with her heart.

 **XXX**

"Gentlemen, take a seat." Eli smiled once they had reached his office. He gestured to the couch and watched happily as they sat down. He closed the door and walked over to his desk. "Can I offer anyone a drink?" He asked politely, with intent. He was eyeing Fitz out, looking for any weak spots before he dove in.

"Not before 5." Fitz smiled and stood up. "Thank you kindly. And may I just take this time now to thank you properly. You've never met me, and yet you completely saved my life. You saved me from a disaster that would have not only disgraced me, but my family. I cannot thank you enough." He extended his hand to Eli, which Eli shook. "I will be forever grateful."

Eli smirked to himself, extremely impressed with the man standing before him. He was a more refined, handsome, and charming version of his father. The boy was born for politics, and with Fitz standing right before him, Eli couldn't be happier. Fitz was charismatic, and had a dapper charm about him which he was sure had gotten the boy out of many sticky situations. He was a smooth talker with a good head of hair who wore a suit quite well. Most importantly of all, he had a strong firm handshake. Eli of all people knew how telling a handshake was of a man; it revealed everything. It was after this Eli realized Cyrus wasn't bullshitting. There was a reason Cyrus was losing his hair trying to reign in this boy. This entitled, reckless and foolish young man had the makings of a president.

Fitz had it all; the votes his father would have on the older conservatives, plus his own pull on younger conservative males who would blindly idolize him. Not to mention the clear fact he had a ridiculous effect on women. This boy had it; he was special.

Eli smiled. "Fitz, may I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Do you want to be president?"

"More than anything." He answered without any hesitation.

And there it was; the last missing piece of the puzzle. On paper, Fitz was the perfect candidate for the job. The only thing in question was his desire, did he have the want? Did he want to be president? And after hearing the sheer conviction in his voice, Eli had his answer. Standing before him was the next president of the United States of America. He was sure of it.

"Good." Eli said down and smiled. "I reckon you have a shot at it, a real good shot. No bullshit. And I wanna help you. I believe the 3 of us could be a real great team."

Fitz nodded, briefly looking at Cyrus. "Yeah. I mean I think you would be a great contact to have, but I'm not sure how your line of work would correspond with my presidential campaign."

Eli chuckled lowly, turning to Cyrus. "You haven't told him what I do, have you?"

Cyrus gulped, shaking his head. "Not entirely. I wanted to keep things as confidential as—"

Eli cut him off, directing his attention back to Fitz. "Fitzgerald, tell me have you ever heard of B613?"

 **XXX**

The ladies continued their small talk and eventually returned to work. Liv made important phone calls while Quinn set up the schedule for the upcoming week. The ladies were fully focused and on task when the back doors opened up, revealing the same 2 men, one of which caused Olivia's heart to skip a beat yet again.

"That's him." Liv mouthed to Quinn once they had both turned their heads back to the front. They both pretended to be deeply invested in their work as they felt them approaching. Soon enough the two men were at the front, gathering themselves to leave.

"Have a great day." Quinn smiled, pleasantly in agreement in Olivia's assessment of the gentleman. He was beautiful without a doubt.

"Take care." Olivia added in with a sweet smile before dropping her eyes back to her computer. She typed away, shocked as her to look up and see Fitz hovering over her desk with his cheeky grin that was sure to send her into cardiac arrest.

"Would you like to get a drink with me sometime?" He asked unashamedly.

"FITZ!" Cyrus yelled from behind him. "WE'RE LEAVING!"

Fitz waved his hand at him, not taking his eyes off Olivia. Cyrus growled underneath his breath before storming out of the building. "Excuse him." Fitz teased. "He hasn't had lunch yet so he's a little cranky."

Olivia was sat there, still in slight awe. "It's no problem."

"So is that a yes? Or are you going to make me ask again?"

"I would love to get a drink with you." She answered more honestly than she intended.

He grinned, pulling out his phone. Olivia quickly recited her number which he happily entered into his iPhone. "I'll call you." He winked before quickly making his exit.

Quinn waited until the coast was clear before squealing like a little schoolgirl. "YOU LITTLE—"

"SHH!" Olivia hissed, realizing her father could be around anywhere having just walked his guests out. "Not so loud!"

"You lucky S.O.B." Quinn giggled. "I can't believe him! He just asked you out, just like that?!"

"I can't believe it either." Olivia admitted.

"That was so... sexy. Like a scene straight out of Sex in the City. He could be your Mr. Big!"

"Yeah but Mr. Big takes several seasons to get his shit together, and breaks Carrie's heart in the process!"

"Yeah but they get married in the movie." Quinn replied with a wink. "I wonder where he'll take you, maybe Apt 200. It's this new swanky bar in the city thats decorated like an apartment; a kitchen, living room, study, even a bedroom. You should suggest it."

Olivia couldn't believe it. Today was a day of firsts. Her first day on the job and she was going on her first date in over 3 years. "I haven't dated in forever... I don't think I'm ready."

"I couldn't think of anyone better to get you back into the dating game than him. Don't worry, I'll prep you for your date. I will get you as ready as you need to be."

Liv smiled. Despite having only known the girl less than a day, she liked Quinn. She trusted her. She seemed like genuine girl. "Promise?"

"Promise."

 **XXX**

A few feet away Eli Pope stood at the door overlooking his daughter and new found friend gossip over her recent encounter. Although he was completely out of vision to them, they were completely within his view. He had seen everything. After walking Fitz and Cyrus to the door he secretly lingered around, waiting to see their body language and conversation after the two of them became alone. He wanted to see if they were being genuine within their meeting today. After all, it was Eli's job to be one step ahead.

However, what he wasn't expecting was to his Fitz hit on his 26 year old daughter without an ounce of remorse or shame. Eli watched as Fitz flashed her his grin, a grin Eli was sure had stolen the hearts of many. Then to his surprise, he watched as Olivia beamed right back at him, offering her number to him without hesitation. He hadn't seen Olivia show any interest or talk to any male in a romantic fashion since her breakup with her idiotic ex boyfriend Jake. Eli hadn't seen his daughter smile at a man like that, ever. Her entire face lit up with a glow that he had never seen on her before. She looked giddy, like a child almost.

Looking at his daughter Eli realized just what he wanted as his IOU from Fitz and Cyrus. All his life Eli was a firm believer in everything happening for a reason. He had worked hard his entire life to provide a life for his daughter far better than his own growing up. He made sure his Liv went to one of the top schools where she was surrounded by those who were going to push her to be her best. She deserved it all; she deserved the world. It was right then and there Eli Pope made the biggest decision of his entire life; his baby girl, his Liv was going to be the next First Lady of the United States of America. With that, he began the journey back to his office with a smile on his face and hope for his future.

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 _Leave reviews :))) Until next time! xx_


	2. APT 200

_I'm so happy you all enjoyed the first chapter of this story. I have to admit, this was the first bit of motivation I've had for writing in a very long time. I'm hoping it will transfer over to my other stories now. I've already started updates for My Best Friend's Sister and This is Vermont. Please bear with me! I promise I will get to them soon. For now I hope you enjoy :)_

* * *

"He hasn't called me." Liv began setting up the computers, prepping them for the day ahead. It was 6:30am and both her and Quinn were tired from the passing weekend. It had been a full week since suave Fitz had asked her out, and yet there had been no follow through of any kind.

"That's how guys are in this city. He'll make you wait it out. Trust me." Quinn assured her. "He'll call you by the end of the week."

Liv frowned. She didn't get it. If he was intrigued by her like he said he was, why hadn't he called? What had changed? Perhaps he was married. Perhaps he was married man checking to see if he still had it by trying to get whatever woman catches his eye. At this point, the whole situation made no sense.

"He's an idiot. He asked me out. Clearly that means you want to take me out. So why wouldn't you call? This is so stupid!" She huffed.

"Trust me, you'll hear from him by the end of the week. There's something about the water in D.C. it turns all men into small children with an even smaller brains." Quinn teased. "Trust me okay. He's politician. They're like this."

Liv hated to admit it, but she was disappointed. She was looking forward to going out for drinks with him. She and Quinn had spent the past week figuring out just who Fitz was so Olivia was well informed for her date. And yet, Fitz had still failed to call.

"Okay." Liv frowned

The two girls continued their set up of the lobby and prepped themselves for a busy day ahead. So far, Liv liked her new job. While working in a museum with so many staff members was definitely an adjustment to her prior employment at a local campus coffee shop, she was loving every second of it. Her and Quinn were growing closer and closer each and everyday they spent together. It was nice to have such a lovely friend to pass the time with at work. They also discovered the more they talked, the more they realized they had in common. They loved the same music, shows, movies and most importantly shared a love for Bradley Cooper.

Despite the lack Liv could admit she was disappointed she hadn't heard from handsome Fitz, who Quinn had renamed Mr. F, she had to remain optimistic. Perhaps he wasn't meant to be. Perhaps they were meant to see each other again. Perhaps his sole purpose was to kick start her interest into the world of dating again, and boy had it worked. Liv had never felt more ready to get out and start dating. In fact she and Quinn were going out for drinks on Saturday night, and she couldn't be more excited.

 **XXXXX**

Fitz sat at his desk with his feet kicked up and a cup of coffee in hand. He was mentally preparing himself for the meeting about to take place. He wasn't sure what to expect, all he knew was that Eli and Cyrus were bound to walk through his office door at any given moment. Eli had emailed the both of them last night stating they had important business to attend to. He was both nervous and excited.

On one hand, he liked Eli. Eli was a strong powerful man, which Fitz greatly respected. On the other, Eli was the head of the most top-secret governmental organization known to man, with a team of highly trained assassins at his disposal. Either way, Fitz knew not to fuck around, not if he valued his life anyway. If Eli scheduled a meeting he would try his very best to listen. Plus Eli had reach and power in places Fitz couldn't even imagine, nor did he want to. He knew having this man on his side was far better than having him as an enemy.

A few moments later his assistant Tammy knocked on his door. Tammy was tall, skinny, and blonde with a lovely figure. "I have Cyrus and Eli Pope here to see you." She smiled at him.

"Great Tammy send them in. Would you also mind bringing them coffee? I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

"Of course." She smiled before escorting the two gentlemen into the office. Tammy closed the door and began to prepare the beverages.

"Morning." Eli said as he took off his coat before making himself comfortable on the couch. Cyrus did the same, sitting on the opposite side.

"Morning." Fitz grinned. "How are you Eli?"

"Great." Eli responded, pulling out a brown folder filled with documents. "Yourself?"

"Couldn't be better." Fitz grinned from his desk. A moment later Tammy returned with two coffees in hand. She placed them directly in front of both Eli and Cyrus with a smile. Eli watched as Fitz happily checked out his assistant from behind as she made her exit out of room. Once she had shut the door behind her, Eli spoke.

"Tell me Fitz, are you fucking her?" His voice was very calm and neutral as he took a sip of his coffee.

"What?!" Fitz chuckled, slightly uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted to discuss with this man was his sex life, again. "Why on earth would you ask that?"

"Firstly, I just watched you take great pleasure in checking out her backside. Secondly, when I asked you turned bright red before deflecting the question. So I'll ask you again, are you fucking her?"

Cyrus remained quiet. In all honesty, he was quite happy to have Eli on the team. Eli was quick as whip and had a magnificent skill for reading people. He could assess situations without even being present. He picked up on things that other people didn't even bat an eyelid at. He was sharp and took absolutely no shit. In fact, Eli was just what Fitz needed at this point in his life.

Fitz smiled stiffly, "I fail to see what this has to do with our meeting."

"This has everything to do with our goddamn meeting." Eli snapped. "Do you think I'm asking for my personal accord? Answer the fucking question."

Fitz frowned. He didn't care to be spoken to like that. However he had to remind himself that Eli was not to be fucked with. He needed him as an ally, not as an enemy. "On occasion." Fitz answered honestly. "Never more than twice a month otherwise it becomes too messy. Plus she has a boyfriend."

Eli smiled. "Great. So I'll add her to the list."

"The list?" Fitz frowned again. "What list?"

"The long and exhausting list of women you've stuck your dick in." Cyrus snarled at him. "That list."

Eli smirked before looking back at Fitz. "You have exactly one year and two weeks before the deadline to formally announce your candidacy for the presidency. 369 days. In that time we have to rebuild you from this strung out, sleazy and reckless congressman into someone that the American people actually want to elect as their next president."

Fitz gulped. "Okay."

"During that time we need to scrub your image completely clean. Your father kindly took the liberty of removing your criminal record off the face of the earth, however that won't cut it. D.C. as you know is a very small city, people talk. And if you've gone through at least half the women Cyrus and I think you have, we have a big problem."

"Problem?" Fitz scoffed. "I'm a 34 year old good looking single man. Am I supposed to be celibate?"

"Hm, I don't know." Eli answered sarcastically. "I mean if you're looking to get that evangelical vote which I'm going to add, you will need, I'm inclined to answer yes, you are."

"He's right. You can't just fuck everything with a pulse and expect to run a smooth and scandal free campaign. No one will elect a whore as a president. Especially a republican one." Cyrus added. He and Eli had discussed at great lengths just how they were going to prepare Fitz for his announcement, and there was a lot of work to be done.

"Well I can't unfuck anyone." Fitz replied defensively.

"We know." Eli opened up his folder and handed Fitz a blank piece of paper. "I need all the names and information of the women you've been sexually involved with in the past 3 years."

Fitz couldn't believe what he was wearing. "And if I can't—"

"Try and remember harder." Eli growled. "I need every name. The last thing we need is one of them popping up on the campaign trail."

"What are you going to do with them?" Fitz asked, slightly worried.

"That's non of your concern." Eli replied.

"Are you going to kill them?"

"Not if they cooperate. I have no intention of killing hundreds of women across the D.C. area. If all goes to plan these women will take the bribe and remain quiet. Some will have to move. However if they refuse to cooperate, my options are very limited." Eli said with a smile. "Now, that brings me to my main point. You're running as a member of the Republican Party. As a republican, what's the one thing you hold of value?"

"National security." Fitz stated.

"Wrong. Tradition. Republicans are for tradition. That's why your party is so scared of change and progression. They're up keepers of American tradition. However there isn't a damn thing that's traditional about you. You're a drunk. You're a cad. You don't go to church. In fact you would probably burst into flames if you did." Eli retorted. "The only thing that's traditional about you is your father. And he can't run for you."

"I'm not getting baptized so if that's where you're going with this you can forget it." Fitz said firmly.

"Please, there aren't enough hail Mary's in the world for you." Eli said simply. "You need a wife. You won't make it to the primaries without one. No one will get behind a bachelor republican candidate. No one will relate to you. It only takes one whisper of 'gay' to ruin your entire campaign, no offence Cyrus."

"None taken." Cyrus chuckled.

"A WIFE?!" Fitz boomed.

"Don't tell me you thought you could be an unmarried republican president?" Cyrus howled sarcastically. "You CANNOT be that stupid!"

"My marital status has no bearing on how effectively I can run a country." Fitz growled.

"That's where you're wrong. There is no point arguing about this. You need a wife. This is non negotiable. You need to embody the American dream or no one is going to believe or like you for that matter. Is that understood?"

As much as Fitz wanted to tell Eli to shut the hell up, he was right. So he nodded in response. "Yeah."

"Great." Eli smiled. "Well as I told Cyrus, I'm going to set up some interviews with suitable women within the next week. In the meantime I'm going to need that list by tomorrow at the latest." Eli rose from couch and gathered his belongings. "I'll be in touch." He said with a smile. "And Fitz, stay out of trouble. I mean it."

Fitz watched as Eli exited the room just as swiftly as he entered. "He's a dick." Fitz grumbled.

"He's just what you need." Cyrus smiled. He truly couldn't be happier with the way things were going. "He knows what he's talking about so you'd better listen. He's going to get you elected."

Fitz nodded. He wanted the presidency more than anything in the entire world. And if he had to get married in order to have it, he would have to make do. Nothing was going to get in the way of what he wanted. Nothing.

"Oh and by the way, get yourself tested." Cyrus noted before exiting Fitz's office.

 **XXXXX**

Quinn was buzzing around her apartment to the beautiful sounds of Stevie Nicks. Her and Olivia had just finished getting ready and were now headed onto the most important part of the pre-game, the drinking. Quinn poured the both a handsome glass of Pinot Grigio and turned up the music. "LIV HURRY UP! I'VE OPENED THE WINE!" Liv immediately raced out the bathroom with a huge smile upon her face at the sound of wine.

"Wow." Quinn beamed at her friend. "Liv you look great."

Liv stood before looking nothing short of stunning. Her usual curly locks had been straightened silky hanging just below her shoulders and she wore a form fitting black bodysuit with a plunging neckline. Her makeup was soft and pretty with a bold red lip for excitement.

"Thanks. You look gorgeous Quinn." Liv smiled back. Quinn had curled her long brown hair before teasing and tousling it, giving it that sexy bedhead vibe. She wore a fitted black bodycon dress, which extenuated her curves.

Quinn happily handed Liv a very generous glass of wine with a smile on her face. "Cheers to a great night."

Liv beamed, clinking their glasses together. "Cheers."

The two women found themselves drinking and dancing around Quinn's apartment. They laughed and chatted and by either of them knew it they had finished their entire bottle.

"Damn it!" Liv frowned. She was finally starting to get a nice warm buzz on. "What do we do now?" At the very worst, she could run across the street to grab another bottle.

Quinn laughed. She walked back into her kitchen and opened up her freezer, revealing an array of frosty bottles of hard liquor. "What's your poison?"

Liv grinned from ear to ear. She hadn't had a night out like this since college. And even in college the most she ever had was a few tequila shots at the bar. She kept it tame when it came to her drinking, never more than a few beers or coolers before the bar. But tonight, she was going to go wild. She was young, hot and single, and with the help of Quinn Liv was more than ready to mingle. In all honestly, Olivia was so completely done with the situation regarding Fitz. She had summed him up to be a no good douchebag who had gotten her hopes up just do disappear off the face of the earth. She wished to never ever hear from him again. However he wasn't about to ruin her life. Liv had a decent buzz on and only had hopes of continuing her drinking streak.

"Tequila?" Liv bravely suggested.

Quinn grinned pulling out an icy bottle of patron. "I'll do you one better. Can you grab the shot glasses, they're in the top cabinet above the oven."

 **XXXXX**

"I'm telling you man, Finch is an asshole. He's so unhappy in his marriage he has to make everyone else around him unhappy." Harrison grumbled. "Who told him to marry his bitch of a wife anyway? He's become such a dick ever since they got together."

Fitz laughed as he listened to his best friend complain about their mutual friend Stephen. He chuckled and took the final swing of his beer before signalling down the waitress. Fitz ordered himself another scotch on the rocks whilst listening to Harrison bitch about Stephen.

"I'm never getting married." Harrison groaned, picking up his beer that rested on the bar.

Fitz wanted more than anything to scream in agreement. There was nothing more nauseating to him than the thought of marriage. However he knew both Cyrus and Eli were gunning down all of D.C. at this very moment in search of his future first lady. So Fitz kept his mouth shut, chuckled and nodded. The thought of being married within a year scared him half to death. He wasn't ready to be married. Marriage meant commitment and babies; neither if which he was remotely close to being ready for. Hell he hadn't had a proper girlfriend in his entire life. How on earth was he supposed to have a wife?

"You're awfully quiet." Harrison noted. At that very moment Fitz's drink arrived much to his pleasure.

"Sorry." Fitz sighed. He couldn't get the thought of Eli and Cyrus hand picking his future wife out of his head. It had been driving him mad ever since their meeting at the start of the week. "Just work shit, that's all."

Harrison nodded. "I hear that." At that very moment he noticed two of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen walk into the bar. The first was slightly taller with pale skin, long brown hair and a striking pair of hips. The second was a shorter woman with caramel skin, chiselled cheekbones, full lips, sleek black hair and body that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

Fitz looked at his friend recognizing the determined look on his face. "See something you like?" He chuckled, "I know that face."

"6 o'clock there's two of them at the bar." Harrison replied.

Fitz turned his head casually, looking the bar. He nearly fell out if his seat when his eyes landed upon the two girls. It was Olivia. She was sitting at the bar with a friend laughing and smiling. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Suddenly his throat was dry and he couldn't pull his eyes from her.

"You take the brunette." Harrison downed the rest of his drink. "I'm going over there."

"I know her." Fitz growled. "The brunette is yours."

"Bullshit you know her." Harrison snarled. "You don't know shit."

"Fine. You go over there and introduce yourself, if her name is Olivia then you back the hell off. Understood?" Fitz challenged.

"Fine by me." Harrison smirked before hopping out of his seat. He fixed his jacket, smoothed out his tie and headed over there swiftly.

 **XXX**

Olivia smiled as the bartender brought over their drinks, a vodka cranberry and gin and tonic. The two ladies picked up their drinks and clinked for cheers. "Cheers." Liv giggled. She took a sip of her gin and tonic and smiled. "I love it here. It's so nice."

Quinn smiled thoroughly happy with her decision to bring Liv to Apt 200. It was a great spot: lively music, great drinks and a good-looking crowd. "Glad you like it. How's your drink?"

Before Liv could respond there was a good looking, sharply dressed man standing between their two chairs. "Ladies." He smiled at them. "How are you doing tonight?"

Quinn blushed at the ridiculously handsome man. "Quite well. How are you?"

"I'm great." He smiled before turning to Olivia. "How about yourself?"

"I'm well thank you." She replied. Liv could tell by the look on Quinn's face that she liked what she saw.

"I have to say, you two look absolutely stunning tonight. My friend and I noticed you two from the moment you walked in the door." Harrison grinned at the sight of Fitz walking from their table, approaching the ladies from behind. With Fitz by his side Harrison was sure the two of them had this in the bag. There wasn't a group of ladies on the face of the earth that the two of them couldn't sweet talk.

Quinn's ears perked up immediately at the mention of a friend for Olivia. "Friend?" She smiled sweetly. "Where is he?"

"Hello Olivia."

Olivia's eyes immediately widened at the sound of his voice. She recognized that voice almost instantly. It was the same voice she'd been running throughout her mind for the past week, trying her very hardest to come up with a possible solution as to why he hadn't called her. And now that very man was standing right behind her and all she could do was freeze. She took a deep breath before turning her head around to see that stupid cheeky grin smiling at her.

Fitz had to admit to himself, she looked even better than he remembered. She smelled absolutely delightful and her jumpsuit was extremely low cut, much to his approval. "You look absolutely stunning tonight."

She wanted to throw her drink in his face. He was a complete and total asshole. Who in the hell did he think he was? He had promised to call and then completely vanished. Now he had just showed up behind her feeding her compliments thinking that all was well? Well it wasn't, not for her at least. But instead of throwing a tantrum and making a scene in a bar that she very much wanted to return to, Liv swallowed her pride and placed a curt smile upon her face. "Hi." She replied stiffly.

Fitz expected her to be slightly frosty, however he was more than willingly to put on the charm. The girl was absolutely stunning. In fact, he had certainly forgotten just how good-looking she truly was. He then smiled at her brunette friend and extended his hand to her, "I'm Fitz. Nice to meet you."

Quinn recognized him as well and politely smiled back at him, "Quinn." She replied. She looked to Olivia who looked less than impressed at his presence.

"Well can I buy you ladies a drink?" Fitz opted to take the seat next to Olivia while Harrison happily sat beside Quinn.

"I have a drink thank you." Liv replied, picking up her less than half full gin and tonic. She took a small sip and turned to Quinn.

Fitz ignored her comment and flagged down the bartender. He then proceeded to order 4 shots of the bar's best vodka. The arrived quickly and were placed in front of each of them. Quinn smiled and turned to Fitz. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He grinned, raising his shot glass up before Harrison and Quinn proceeded to do the same. Liv was reluctant, only acknowledging the shot after Quinn gave her a slight nudge to the shoulder. "Cheers." He smiled, particularly looking at Olivia. All 4 of them took the shot and groaned as the hard liquor burned their throats. "So Olivia, how have you been?" He smiled at her, watching as Harrison took the hint to turn his attention to Quinn.

"Fine." She replied, pulling out her iPhone. She truly didn't care if she was coming off as rude. He had hurt her feelings and she planned to do exactly the same to him.

"You know that's very rude, I'm trying to have a conversation with you." He teased.

"Why?"

"Why?" He chuckled. "Because I want to get to know you better, that's why."

"Oh really? Then why didn't you call me?" She snarled at him. Liv didn't care to hide her feelings. She was drunk and extremely annoyed with full intent to let him know.

"You're upset that I didn't call, and I get it. If it's any consolation, I did have plans of calling you. I really did. I've just had a ridiculously busy week with work. But I can promise you, I have every intention of taking you on that dinner date."

"Well it's too late because you've fucked it. I don't want to go on a date with you anymore." Liv retorted, downing the rest of her drink. Fitz quickly beckoned to the bartender to bring two more drinks over.

"Really?" He frowned. "That's unfortunate. I have the perfect place in mind as well. It's this new Thai-Indian fusion restaurant called Spin. It's gotten rave reviews and has a waitlist of over 2 months."

"And you expect me to wait 2 months to go to dinner with you?!" She laughed falsely, rolling her eyes.

"No. My buddy owns the place, I was hoping to take you there next Friday." Fitz grinned as their drinks arrived. He happily placed Liv's in front of her, "cheers beautiful." Olivia reluctantly took her drink once more, bringing the straw to her lips. She took a healthy sip before placing her drink down on the bar.

"I don't like you." She said without thinking. Liv realized then and there that she was truly drunk.

"Really?" He challenged. "Your body language says differently."

"Excuse me? Are you calling me a liar?!" She growled at him.

"You shifted your entire body that was positioned toward the bar, towards me. Your knee is touching mine and your eyes haven't left me. I keep noticing you staring at my chest." He grinned, placing his arm around the back of her chair. "Which is totally fine because I've staring at yours since you walked in. You have an incredible figure might I add."

She couldn't believe this cad. "You have no interest in dating me. I'm not stupid. You just want to drag me back to whatever sex dungeon you call your home and fuck me. Well I'm not interested."

Fitz had to admit, her feistiness was slightly turning him on. "Listen babe-"

"Do not call me babe. I am NOT your babe. My name is Olivia." She hissed.

"Okay." He rolled his eyes. "Olivia, look. I like you. You're a good looking and I'm good looking. There's no reason for us not to enjoy each other's company."

"Like I've stated twice in the past 5 minutes. I am not interested in you Fitz. I'm a catch, do you hear me? A fucking catch. You were LUCKY to get my number and you fucked up by not following through with it. You see how good I look and you're shitting yourself. Well go enjoy someone else's company."

"I know you're a catch, that's why I am sat here with you." He replied genuinely. "You're a smart, beautiful girl and if I'm honest, I don't have a real reason as to why I didn't call. I was busy with work and that's all I can say. But I am trying to make it up to you now. I want to take you for dinner on Friday. And I do truly mean that Olivia."

She cracked a slight smile on her face. Liv could see through all the BS he spewing earlier, but what he had just said was real. She could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes.

"Let me take you to dinner. Give me the chance to prove to you that I'm not that sleazebag you think I am."

"No."

"No?"

"I want someone who wants me unconditionally. Not just when it's convenient." Olivia downed the rest of her drink and turned her attention back to Quinn who was happily making out with Harrison. Liv rolled her eyes and turned back to Fitz. She hopped off her chair and put on her chic black coat. "Thanks for drink Fitz."

"Wait!" He frowned. "At least let me walk you out." He followed her out the door and stepped outside into the frosty night air. "You look really nice tonight Liv."

"Olivia." she frowned.

"I like Liv." He chuckled. "Olivia sounds so serious."

She rolled her eyes and at that very moment a yellow cab pulled up to the curbside. "Well, I'm going home." She turned to him with a smile. "Have a good night, I hope you get laid."

He ignored her comment with a smirk. "Are you sure you're ready to go home?" He opened up her cab door for her, making sure she got in all right. "I've got an amazing bottle of 2008 Chianti at mine."

Liv nearly bit her lip. Chianti was one of her favourite wines. It was one of the first wine's her father had introduced her to. "I love Chianti." She admitted softly.

He grinned at her, leaning down so he could place his lips to her ear. "Then lets go back to mine."

Liv felt goosebumps breakout all over her body at the sheer sound of his voice. He was in such close proximity to her it was intoxicating. His smell, his voice; him. His rich, raspy and deep voice had dazed her to the point of almost agreeing. However after she gathered herself a moment later, she snapped back to her senses. She shook her head no and pulled away from him. "No. I'm going home! Goodnight!" And with that she practically slammed the cab door shut and drove off into the night.

Fitz laughed to himself as he watched her cab speed down the road. She was gorgeous, he would give her that. She had this model like cheekbones that were truly stunning, not to mention her full plump lips. Between her lips, her chest and her ass, he didn't know where to look. He could tell he had started to wear her down. She had hesitated at the offer of going back to his. Which put a giant grin on his face.

Sure, he had struck out tonight. But he was sure she would be attending their dinner on Friday night. He planned to pull out his best moves and get lucky. He would bag her by the end of the week, Fitz was sure of it.

However he was now he was horny. He'd been staring at Olivia all night, which had driven his libido absolutely mad. The woman was sexy and had caused a strain in his pants upon her entrance. There was absolutely no way he was going home tonight empty handed. Not a chance. He looked at his watch and frowned; last call was in 20 minutes. There was no way he'd find a girl in that amount of time. He would come off as that desperate loser which would do nothing but turn off every woman in the bar.

After last week Cyrus had made him swear off hookers, which in all honest was probably for the best. Fitz groaned, knowing what was about to happen, more so who. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his iPhone and dialled a number he knew quite well.

"Hey Mel." He smiled. "How are you?" "I'm good. I was actually just thinking about you and decided to give you a call." He grinned at the eagerness in her voice. "Yeah I miss you too. Tell you what, you save me some of that wine you're drinking, get naked, and I'll be over in 15. How does that sound?" He smirked. "Alright, see you soon."

Fitz stepped out into the road and flagged down a taxi. He hopped inside with an eager pep in his step, tonight wasn't ending with exactly who he wanted, but was ending with a bang, and that was all that mattered.

 **XXXXX**

Liv awoke with a banging hangover. She dragged her way downstairs and into the kitchen where she found her father reading the morning paper. "Morning." Her voice was as groggy as she looked.

Eli chuckled. "Sounds like someone had a little bit too much fun last night."

"I haven't been hungover in years." Olivia groaned, pouring herself a large cup of coffee.

"Did you have fun?" Eli asked, taking a bite of his toast.

"Yeah it was okay."

"Meet any cute guys?" Eli teased.

"EW! DAD!" Liv chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to shower." She shook her head and headed back upstairs towards the bathroom.

Eli smiled to himself. He was fully aware of just who Olivia had spent her night with. It was his job to know. Especially as his personal and business life were soon to merge. He had hacked footage from the bar's security camera's late last night without breaking a sweat. He saw just how Fitz and Liv interacted with each other, flirting heavily at the bar. The pair had visible chemistry. Not only that, they looked great together. Getting these two together was going to be much easier than he thought.

The plan was quite simple, once he proposed the idea to both of them, which neither were in a position to refuse, they would need to get married within two months. Within that time the pair would need to attend events together, as well as maintain the image of their relationship. The ceremony would be intimate for obvious reasons and after that, Fitz would go from a sleazy bachelor to a happily married man. He would go from douche bag to trustworthy in a matter of minutes. He would be on his way to being a proper presidential candidate.

After the wedding the real work would begin. They would have to plan out his entire campaign. There would be so much work to do in so little time.

His iPhone rang taking Eli out of his thoughts. He answered on the 3rd ring, "Cyrus."

"We have a problem."

Eli grimaced. He couldn't even get through his Sunday paper without being interrupted. He was starting to realize why Cyrus was going bald. "What?"

"He's sleeping with his ex." Cyrus retorted.

Eli rolled his eyes. "We'll have to bump up the interviews for his wife to this week."

"He's not going to like this one bit." Cyrus warned. He knew Fitz extremely well. Fitz had the ability to be the world's most stubborn asshole when he choice to. Fitz had already explicitly expressed his distress and concern towards the idea of marriage. Cyrus was sure at the news of interviews being pushed forward that Fitz would have a full-blown temper tantrum.

"I don't give a fuck what that boy wants. You need to stop letting him dick you around. He's a BOY Cyrus. He needs to be told what to do. You do not ask for his opinion or his feelings on the matter, you TELL him that interviews will be scheduled for this week. That's all."

"You're right." Cyrus sighed. "I'll relay the message onto him."

"You send me your picks. No one gets through to the interviews without my approval? Understood?" Eli questioned. "And I need that god damn list."

"Fine." Cyrus sighed. "Look I've got to go, I'll catch up with you later on."

Eli hung up the phone and exhaled. He was already fed up with Fitz. It was as if what he was told went in one ear and out the other. In some ways he felt bad for his daughter if this was who she going to be married to for the next however long, however she would become the first lady. His own daughter would be the First Lady of the United States of America, his baby girl. So that respect, it would all be worth it. She would go down in textbooks, she would be written about for years and years to come.

Eli's only current issue was coming up with a way to work Olivia into the mix without tipping off either party. Of course, they would eventually find out his plan, but it needed to be implemented in the right fashion. If Eli knew Fitz like he could only guess he did, Fitz was one to do the exact opposite of what he was told. He defied Cyrus constantly, wishing to move to beat of his own drum, despite what was best for him. So the entire thing would have to be positioned so both Fitz and Olivia were under the impression this entire thing was of their choosing.

But then Eli remembered one very very important fact. Olivia and Fitz had a date this week. He smiled to himself happily, this entire arrangement might be a lot simpler than he ever imagined.

* * *

 _Hope you liked this chapter! As always leave your honest opinions and predictions!_

 _Take care x_


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